Assaults on prison staff extremely concerning - MP

The MP for Reigate said prison officers do an "important job"

The number of assaults on officers at a women's prison in Surrey is "extremely concerning", an MP has said.

Rebecca Paul, Conservative MP for Reigate, said prison officers did an important job and asked in the House of Commons on Tuesday what steps were being taken to ensure they were protected in their jobs.

Downview Prison, in Banstead, saw the number of prisoner-on-staff assaults increase by 54.8% between 2023 and 2024, a report previously showed.

Justice minister Sir Nicholas Dakin agreed prison officers did "an outstanding job" and said the prison service was making sure they were properly supported and properly protected.

The September report by the Independent Monitoring Board showed there were 48 incidents of prisoner-on-staff assaults at the facility in 2023-24, compared with 31 in the previous year.

The report said assaults on staff had not resulted in serious injuries, but there had been an increase in spitting, punching, kicking and hair-pulling.

The rise in assaults on staff and in the use of force was "presumably due to a more complex mix of prisoners and a higher prisoner population", according to the report.

A prison service spokesman said at the time of the report women in prison were often more likely to face complex issues and that specialist psychologists were being recruited to better support women in custody.

They added: "Violence can often be fuelled by poor mental health so it is vital that we continue to improve support for women while ensuring the safety of our staff.

"All prison officers have access to body-worn cameras to keep them safe and all acts of violence are punished."